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Story : Under a perfect blue sky.
Back to Within the Barrow :April 19 1220 The view without was stunning; simply stunning. The sky was perfectly clear, with the sun high overhead. The Long Mynd was blanketed with a rich array of vibrantly coloured heathers and grasses, which stretched down the steep sides to a thick layer of fluffy white clouds that stretched seemlessly about the Mynd and away to the horizon. Judging by their height about the clouds, and the change in topography, it seemed that the Long Mynd was now a good bit taller than it had been. If it wasn't now a mountain, it was certainly approaching that definition. The air was a bit lighter, and fresher than before. Any and every considered aspect of the Long Mynd seemed somehow better. The summit lay to the south, down the greenway, which had become narrower, and somewhat rockier. Mnemosyne circumnavigated the mound, looking carefully into thin air, with the occasional glance around at her other surroundings. After a circuit she reluctantly concluded that she could not see an obvious way back, which did not necessarily mean there was not one, but it did not make life any easier. She briefly informed Ambrosius on her lack of progress and went to join Geraldous at the top of the mound. To the east, the land rose up steeply to the ridge which bore the greenway from the south, northward. Reaching the top she found that Blathmac has followed Geraldous. She gave him a less than impressed look. "Blathmac, you were told to look after Ambrosius below and keeping an eye on the burial mound's interior would not be a bad idea either - we don't know what is in there," she commented in frosty tones. A moment passed and she noted a certain lack of comprehension on his face. She switched to Latin. "What are you doing up here, Blathmac?" She switched back to English. "Blathmac... There is a massive troll behind you and your trews appear to be on fire." She sighed. Marcus had either lumbered them with an imbecile, or someone who could not speak English. He had arrived with Marcus, so Welsh would probably be no good, even if Mnemosyne could speak it, which she could not. She resorted to cruder methods. "Blathmac..." She pointed at the grog. "Go..." She pointed down the mound toward Ambrosius. "Watch..." She pointed at both of her eyes and mimed looking around alertly. "Ambrosius..." She pointed again at the mage. Then she gave him a firm, but gentle shove in the direction he was supposed to go in. Blathmac watched with interest. He tried a few words in Irish, the one or two of the few words he knew in Welsh. Neither got a response, so with a shrug he turned back down toward the barrow. The ways of the magi were mysterious as always. Mnemosyne then turned to more important matters and looked around to see what she could see, taking note of anything of particular interest - the less ruined building, other mounds, the greenway and other sites of note, and of course any beings apart from her own group. "Impressive," she said in English, in deference to Geraldous, but not really expecting a response. The cottage-like building was pretty much as she had observed it from outside the regio. It was more obviously a victim of a house fire now that she could clearly see the way the stonework was blackened about the windows and eves. The mound that Geraldous went to investigate now looked rather more interesting than the green grassy lump it had been with the change in topography. The earthwork was now further down the hill than the barrow, and Mnemosyne could make out the central barrow with the enormous ring of earth about it. She then began to intone loudly, her voice clear and powerful and matched her gestures. Wide and sweeping, exaggerated and highly descriptive. She would pierce the secrets of this place and it would reveal itself unto her. A moment later she closed her eyes and let the power of the aura rush over her and mentally compared it to other auras she had experienced as part of her training in the Hermetic arts. Slowly she nodded. She was a bit disappointed, but sure that she was right. Opening her eyes, she looked around and considered maintaining the spell for longer and wandering about to see if it made a difference. She was about to let it drop, the trip over to any of the other interesting features too far for her to really be bothered about maintaining the spell, when she considered the passage below. Making her way carefully down the slope, Mnemosyne walked a few paces into the passage to about where they arrived and maybe a step or so beyond and once more sampled her senses. She confirmed that it was the same as that above and while the thought perhaps it may be different beyond the stairs, she was not foolish enough to explore down there alone. Further more, she had noticed as she had passed the doors that there amongst the branches was the image of single fruit about to drop, and many more which had already dropped. She suspected she did not have much time. Trapped :April 19 1220 Mnemosyne let her intellego spell drop, she turned and made her way calmly and sedately toward the outside, even as the last fruit fell from the branches of the carved tree and the doors began to smoothly shut. She took a step forward and then realising that way lead only to being trapped painfully between the closing doors, she smartly stepped back and the doors closed in her face, leaving her in almost pitch black... Almost, if not for the slight glimmering glimmering of the carved tree. "Irritating," she said dryly. Still, at least she was more informed than before. ---- Ambrosius' eyes snapped open and he rolled to his right as the bottom door, upon which he'd been resting, began to move up underneath him. While he'd intentionally sat down on the door in hopes of knowing when it closed, he'd let his mind drift and was caught off guard when it began to move. He turned to comment on it to Mnemosyne and found that she was no where to be seen. Ambrosius was about to walk to the far side of the barrow mound when he saw her coming out of the gloom of the tunnel, stepping to the door. It was clear, both from the look on her face and speed the door was closing that she wasn't going to make it out. "Mnemosyne!" he shouted, but the doors sealed firmly shut before she had the chance to reply. Ambrosius took a step back from the door, expected to have to get out of the way for Geraldous to come leaping from the top of the mound, but he must not have heard over the sounds atop the mound. Probably better that he remain unaware, Ambrosius thought. He turned back to the door and immediately noted the carving of the tree, identical to the one on the inside. Curiously, despite the significant amount of light falling upon the tree, it was not glowing. Apparently, a requirement for opening the door was the triggers be of magical origin. Perhaps that lent itself to the aura being magical? Ambrosius wasn't sure - he wasn't as schooled in regiones as many of his brethren. He'd have to ask Mnemosyne. Now fairly confident that he could open the door, Ambrosius took a few extra moments to admire the craftsmanship of the door and its carving. He noted, with interest, that the seal the door created, both between the stones and around the edge was remarkably good...almost unnaturally so. What could the purpose of this disguised entrance be, he wondered? It could be a sanctuary, or a prison. He decided that great care should be taken, either way. Taking his time, he began the motions and words to summon each of the elements. First, the light upon tree, then the earth upon the roots. Finally, he let the magically conjured water run down the trunk of the tree and into the roots, and took a step back as the doors swung horizontally outward. Setting forth upon the mynd-cum-mountain :April 19 1220 The doors swung openly more quietly this time, bathing the maga in sunlight. "Out or in, not half and half!" snapped Geraldous as he saw what had happened. "We need to stay organised in this place, until we know if it is dangerous or not. Do you wish to explore out in the world here or inside that tomb?" Blathmac looked around, feeling out of place and fairly useless. He was more comfortable with animals than people in any case. Speaking of which, where were the animals? He looked around more carefully for any signs of life other than themselves. On the exposed hillside, he could see various insects and the odd butterfly idly flitting about in the long, sun-drenched grasses. He reckoned that any rabbits, or similar, would have scarpered when the heavy stone doors had grated open. Otherwise, on this section of the hillside, there were no creatures in view. He was just pondering what sort of creature he might expect to find in these parts, when, on a hunch, he looked up, and caught sight of some birds in the distance. Mnemosyne stepped out beyond the doors, once more outside of the tomb - if that is what it really was, which she had strong doubts about now. She nodded her thanks at Ambrosius with a smile and a slight twinkle on her eye. "The level of the aura within the corridor where we entered and around the mound itself is not particularly strong - only to the second degree, as such things are measured Hermetically," she confided to her fellow magus. "As Regiones grow in power, it seems a reasonable presumption that the aura is only of the first degree back on the Mynd we climbed and where the others remain. Things may be different back inside the... ah... 'tomb', if that is what it really is, and down those stairs. However, I don't imagine that descending into the bowels of the earth will yield us a way back to your companions, Ambrosius." Ambrosius nodded his agreement. "I'll admit, sodale, that I am....ah....keen on exploring the rest of this," he motioned towards the entrance to the underground passage, "construction, but I still feel that we should concentrate on finding an exit from the regio before we, um, proceed further into it." He looked around pointedly. "I think it is safe to say that it is...massive in size." He deferred back to Mnemosyne. "But please, maga, continue." She continued on in Latin, knowing that Geraldous had picked up the language well in his years serving other magi and that Blathmac appeared not to understand English. "Two sites seem of interest. The ruin we saw appears to be a burnt out cottage, in slightly better shape that it did previously. However, of more interest perhaps is the other mound Geraldous rode over to previously. It seems more extensive here, perhaps actually the remnants of a hill fort or other structure - or another more elaborate barrow. Shall we go?" Ambrosius nodded. "Very well, then. Let us examine it." Geraldous replied " I believe that where we were it was the remnants of a fort of the ancient ones, maybe here it is more than that. Might I suggest we move over there as a fairly close group, with you, my lady, behind me and my shield. Before we move though, can everyone try speaking to that young fellow in all the tongues you know, bar English and Latin. We must have a tongue between us he can understand" He spoke again, repeating his last request in English, before hoisting his shield, and preparing to move. "Do not worry about Blathmac, Geraldous. I'll take care of the ...um....communication issue." Ambrosius took a step up to the stable-master and laid a hand on his shoulder. Looking him in the eyes, he spoke Words of Power, stroking the stunted and scarred index finger of his right hand across Blathmac's forehead, as if inscribing invisible runes. Of course, Blathmac might freak from hearing these thoughts; it all depends on how comfortable he is with magic and what his experiences have been before this point. Nick, you go whatever way you want with this and I'll make adjustments accordingly. So, continuing on, assuming Blathmac is find with this. I've taken some liberty with the level of communication that creating thoughts might grant. If this is contrary to anyone's personal vision, particularly the SG (since it is his world), let me know and I'll adjust it accordingly as well. Ambrosius continued to look into Blathmac's eyes and sent the thought, Hello Blathmac. I've done this so we can communicate. Do you understand? Ambrosius continued, We share no common languages, so just nod your head yes or shake it no, alright? Blathmac's eyes widened, but he managed a nod. We are in a regio, Ambrosius tried to share his limited knowledge of what regiones as an understandable thought. We have come in, but are now seeking a way back out, so we know how to return to our friends. We are going to rest for a bit so I can recover my strength, but when we begin to move, stay with me. If you see anything of interest, point it out to me. If you need to talk to me or to the Maga Mnemosyne, stroke us on the cheek. He sent am image of Blathmac stroking Ambrosius on the cheek. Are you alright with all this? Blathmac nodded again, then gestured widely around him. He made a looking gesture by shading his eyes and then shrugged. He pointed at the flock of birds in the distance then looked around again and sort of shrugged. Ambrosius took a few moments to interpret Blathmac's motions, and nodded. I think I understand. Everything is strange; everything is of interest, right? I believe we can assume that things like the plants, he sent an image of the perfect blade of grass, and animals, he sent an image of the flock of birds, are as common here as they are in the mundane world. I suppose we should assume that anything of interest in the mundane world should be of interest here - only there may be much more of interest in here than out there. Ambrosius shared with the others what he had communicated to Blathmac and said, "I believe we can count on his cooperation and enthusiasm." He smiled at Blathmac. "Now, I truly need to rest before we continue, as I need to cast once more, and want to be well rested before this one. It may be difficult." Proceeding on the assumption that there are no objections to a 12 minute rest so Ambrosius can recover fully Without any further word, Ambrosius found a particularly soft looking patch of grass (indeed, there seemed to be many such pleasing spots) and proceeded to lay down and rest. Insert resting dialogue or prose here When he felt significantly recovered, Ambrosius rose to his feet with a, "Ahhhhh!" He continued in English, "The air just seems clearer, the rest deeper to me! I wonder why that is?" He turned to Mnemosyne. "I am concerned, sodale, that we have not seen the exit, and even more ...um... bothered that I cannot see any of the regio boundaries myself. While I do not doubt your honesty, but, ah...I am assuming that you are using the second-sight to see these things, and I...well, '''do' doubt how complete a vision it provides. I do not think it is showing you everything that there is to see. I believe I can combine Intellego and Vim to see these things with more reliability." Ambrosius turned to face the barrow entrance once again and bowed his head for a moment, as if in meditation or in prayer. He could be heard to mumble a bit, then take a deep, slow breath and blow it out. He looked up, his young face stern but confident. Firmly, he spoke the words of power, his hands swirling around his head and body, swinging the full axis of his shoulders and elbows, creating set of spirals that ended with his eyes. When his fingers come to rest on his closed eyes, a brief but strong breeze blew through the party, carrying with it the smell of the forge and the sound of the hammer on anvil. When Ambrosius opened his eyes a moment later, they appeared a dull red, as the blade of a sword heated to be worked. He smiled slightly, turned to Mnemosyne and said, "''Much better. I can see everything now." Ambrosius looked about, and could see the raw magical essence of the regio overlayed upon his vision like a faint glow that made the already intense colours of the fauna and sky even more potent. Looking up the steep slope of the hill, the glow seemed to gradually grow in intensity, until partway up the hill it seemed to reach a climax and abruptly disappear, as though a great line had been drawn across the Mynd. Exit :April 19 1220 Ambrosius pointed to the south, further up the mountain, "I see the edge of the regio over here, sodale. Let us ensure that we can break it simply, and that time has not been flowing at a different rate for us. Assuming all is well, maga," Ambrosius smiled pointedly, "I would have no objection, in fact, be very interested, in continuing the exploration of this regio." Ambrosius motioned to Blathmac for him to stay with Mnemosyne, and strode towards the regio edge. As he walked up the hill, Ambrosius noticed again the perfection of every blade of grass, every grain of dirt, pebble and cloud. Being within the regio was a bit like waking up in Heaven or the Elysian fields. The regio seemed to speak to infinite complexity - looking into the sky, it seemed without limit, and the dirt seemed infinitely small. Mnemosyne had happily accompanied Ambrosius further up the mountain, putting an investigation of the second mound off for the time being. She spent most of the short hike in silence, looking around the place in interest, absorbing the sights. When they reached the point where Ambrosius indicated a change to the regio, she stopped. ''"If you penetrate it," Mnemosyne warned. "From the way you describe it, it is quite possible that you will actually enter a deeper layer of the regio. If you can return, please do so quickly. I'll give you a few minutes, then attempt to follow. However, it may be difficult without someone to guide us who can see the boundary. It may take me a little while to work up the spells, or whatever to pinpoint the way through. Be careful." "Wise plan, maga. I will be careful indeed." Ambrosius took the last couple steps to the edge of the regio, he took a deep breath and walked forward, penetrating the regio boundary. Mnemonsyne counted her heartbeats to a hundred and fifty, whereupon she judged enough time had gone by for Ambrosius to rejoin them if he could. At least if he could easily. This was worrying. It either meant that there was no easy way back, in which case following would take them deeper into trouble - Mnemosyne really did not beleive this was a way out of the regio at all, as moving uphill was in her mind a way deeper into it - or, there was a way back, but Ambrosius was in no condition to make use of it. Either were not the most thrilling prospects. "Weapons at the ready," she instructed the grogs, prodding Blathmac, miming and pointing at Geraldous' example to get him to follow suit. Blathmac looked at Geraldous and laughed softly, holding his arms wide to show that he was unarmed. (Although of course that would have been clear to Mnemosyne from the outset. Marcus did say he would send his stableman and suggested he look after the animals, if you recall ... JB :-) She was tempted to melt his mind into a shape where it would understand her, but Marcus might not overly appreciate her tampering with his grogs, so she decided to hold off for now. In any case, more important things beckoned. She took them both by the wrists and marched purposefully over the point that Ambrosius had taken. Geraldous grunted his annoyance, broke free for long enough to sling his shield onto his back, and then took her wrist with his free hand. "Well," she said dryly. "I didn't really expect that to work, but it had to be tried. Let us move to the second plan..." A moment later she was blindfolding Blathmac and spinning him around. The she gave him a swift shove over where she imagined the boundry to be. He conspicuously did not disappear. Mnemosyne went and unblindfolded him and patted his shoulder sympatheticly. The fact that he could not speak English made her feel he was rather simple, like a child, and she was aware that he was confused. She had hoped his confusion would allow at least him to penetrate the boundry though. It had not. "Well, that did not work either," she said. "But we are learning more. Still... Haste may me of the essence... Further experimentation can come later." She raised her hands and cried out a Word, beginning an impromptu bit of spellcasting. She was attempting to duplicate Ambrosius' spell - though was not really sure exactly what he had done. Something with Intellego and Vim which would allow him to see the boundary was all she was certain of. She added more loud chanting and wide, sweeping hand gestures, her arms moving in circles, describing invisible symbols and released her spell with a sharp final Word. She muttered to herself in irritation when nothing happened. Obviously, the spell was more difficult than the had hoped. She set about doing the same thing again, this time throwing some effort into it and letting some of her energies power her spontanious casting. This time she caught a glimse of the barrier for a second or maybe two before it faded from her sight. Blathmac and Geraldous both felt a prickle on the back of their necks as if someone was staring hard at them. She cursed, using a most unladylike expletive she had heard the grogs use from time to time and went and sat down to think things through. For a couple of minutes, she stared hard at the place where Ambrosius had vanished and ran through other options in her mind. After this short time had passed she stood once more, a look of purpose once more on her face. Once again she began to intone loudly and make bold, but controlled gestures. Once again, both grogs got the feeling someone was watching them carefully. Mnemosyne closed her eyes for a couple of moments and inwardly reviewed the details her spell had revealed to her, throwing her mind back to carefully review her memories and sifted them. Her eyes snapped open and she nodded decisively. "Yes," she said. "I think I have it." Taking the grogs by the wrists once more, she led them confidently confidently deeper into the the next level of the regio, to join Ambrosius - vanishing from the one place and appearing not far from where Ambrosius now waited. ---- Continued Next page: Into Thin Air ---- Category:1220 1220Q2 12200419 Category:Ambrosius Category:Mnemosyne Category:Geraldous Category:Alicia Category:Llewys Category:Blathmac